Cymbeline, King of Britain Society and Class

Cymbeline hates the idea of Posthumus—a beggar, in his mind—marrying a princess. He doesn't care about love or happiness; all he wants is social hierarchy to be normal in his kingdom. That's one tall order, considering that his daughter has already married Posthumus.

It seems high social class can be handed out like candy on Halloween... according to the Queen, that is. She says she can make Cornelius high and mighty if he delivers a potion to her. It's funny that the Queen has this kind of thing her in power: she's also trying to kill people off in order to get her son on the throne. Is that kind of thing legit?

Cloten thinks he's awesome just because he's a prince, but everyone else knows he's a tool. In fact, the lords even make fun of what he says here. A cock is a slang term for a fool, which means that Cloten's calling himself a fool without even realizing it. It's another example of lack of self-awareness that will eventually prove Cloten's undoing.

Ouch. Imogen thinks that even Posthumus's old clothes are better than Cloten. For someone who buys into the whole class structure (and Cloten totally does), that's a big deal, especially considering that Imogen has drawn attention to clothing, one major symbol of social status. Imogen is saying that Cloten isn't even as good as a lower-class person's old clothes; she's saying the other guy's status is actually better.

Cloten just can't get over this one: he's been insulted before, but not like this. How dare Imogen call him worthless? He's so offended he repeats this line from Imogen three times before saying this. Is this the first time anyone told it to him straight? Probably.

Dressed as Posthumus, Cloten compares himself to his dreaded rival. He makes it easy for us to see that class doesn't really matter, though we should point out he's actually saying the opposite—that he's way better than his love rival. But, in doing so, we hear how similar the two men are in stature, strength, and skill. It's just their outward trappings—clothes as well as social status—that seem to differentiate them. (What's actually different about them is what's on the inside: Posthumus is a good guy, while Cloten is just a nasty piece of work.)

Without even realizing it, Guiderius hits a nerve with Cloten: he's said that Cloten is unworthy of being called a prince. In typical fashion, Cloten can't let this go—in fact, it's what gets him killed. If only he hadn't cared so much about his social status.

Belarius offers us the typical view in Shakespeare's day: social class matters, big time. He thinks that even though Cloten was their enemy, he still deserves to have a burial according to his class: he was a prince, so he should be buried like one. Do you think Belarius's views have anything to do with the fact that he used to be a high-class man himself?

Everyone is equal—when dead. Guiderius doesn't care that Cloten was a prince or anyone special. It doesn't matter, he says: we all go back into the ground, one way or another. His comparison between a lowlife soldier (Thersites) and a hero (Ajax) in the Trojan war shows that death doesn't distinguish between beggar and king.

We've come full circle by the end of the play: Cymbeline is now thankful to a peasant (Posthumus) for saving the throne. Isn't it funny how the fate of the kingdom was in the hands of a bunch of poor guys? Of course, we know Guiderius and Arviragus are actually princes (as is Posthumus, if you think about it), but Cymbeline doesn't know that. In the end, inner worth seems to triumph over social class.